Switch for trolleys.



PATENTED APR. 14, 190 E'..0AMERON.- SWITCH FOR TROLLEYS. APPLICATION FILED APR.25,1907.

2 sums-SHEET 1.

Inyen tor Vitnesses .4 ltorneys.

n42 NORRIS PETERS co., wasgmarou, n. c.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

A ltorneys.

PATENT-ED APR. 14, 1908. E. OAMERON. SWITGH FOR TROLLEYS. APPLICATION FILED APB..25,1907.

Witnesses .THE NORRIS PETERS co., WASHINGTON, n. c.

my switch in position.

UNITED STATES PATENT oEFioE.

EWAN 'oAME'jEoN, or BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, AssIeNoR TO ALAN J. CAMERON, OF BROOKLYN,

NEW YORK.

SWITCH Eon TROLLEYS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 14, 1908.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EWAN CAMERON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the borou h of Brooklyn, county of Kings, State of l lew York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Switches for Trolleys, of which the following is a specification.

The object I have in view is the production-of a switchfor overhead trolleys, which will possess great stability and strength, which may be easily 0 erated and will be self locking, and which wi 1 be operated with ease and certainty.

A further object that I have is producing a switch in which the curve will be even and without abrupt turns.

Further objects are in providing a switch in which there will be an inability of the trolley comin off the track at the switch.

Other 0 jects will more fully appear from the following s ecification and accompanying drawings, ta entogether or separately.

attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of a track showing Fig. '2 is a sideelevation of the same. Fig. 3 is an enlarged section on the line aa of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an enlarged top view of the switch shifting mechanism. Fig. 5 is a sectional View of the same on the line 0-0 of Fig. 4; and Fig. 6 is a section on the line b?) of Fig. 4.

In all the views like parts are designated by the samereference characters.

My invention is used in connection with switches with tracks for overhead trolleys. These tracks are mounted u on supports that do end from a ceiling or ot er structure.

In illustrating the embodiment of my invention, I show a switch which com rises a moving member or track 1 and fixe members or tracks 2 and 3. The number of fixed members may be increased, as is obvious. The fixed and moving members depend from a fixed support by means of hangers 4 and 5. The ends of the fixed members or tracks 2 and 3 terminate adjacent to the end of the moving track or member 1 so that the latter may be swung to form a continuous way over the track 2 or over the track 3 as desired.

One feature in my invention consists in making the moving member of the switch so that it" may be thrown without any abrupt change in direction in the track. This I attain by adequately supporting its free end upon the fixed members 2 and 3 or upon the support 4, or upon means supported by the support 4, and sustaining it intermediate its ends by the hanger 5, at a sufii cient distance away from its free end, so that the moving member may be flexed and brought into alinement with either of the tracks 2 and 3. order to get a still better support for the moving member I may arrange the hanger 5 nearer to the free end of the moving member, but provide such hanger with means to perrnit the moving member to pivot upon it. One way of attaining this end is to provide a hanger 5 with a pivot 6 so that the moving member may be turned. A satisfactory su port is also disclosed in my co-pending app ication for patent, filed April 25, 1907, Serial No. 37 0,153. The additional supports for the moving member (not shown) may have, or not, as desired, pivots so as to permit the more ready flexing of the moving member by increasing its len th between rigid supports.

The free end of the moving railis provided with an extension or shoe 7, which rests upon and is supported by a plate 8, which is carried upon the free ends of the fixed rails 2' and 3. This plate 8 serves the triple pur ose of a tie for securing together and in xed alinement the fixed rails, as a support or slide for the shoe, so that the weight of the free end of the moving rail is taken up, and as supports for the bearings of the shaft 9, which actuates the mechanism for throwing the switch. To support the shaft bearings 9, the plate is made to extend a sufficient distance beyond the fixed rails 2 and 3 and is bent upward, forming extensions 10. The shaft 9 carries a screw thread 11 so that it constitutes a screw. This screw engages with a nut 12, which connected to the shoe 7, and by means of which the switch is thrown. Connections between the nut and the shoe are best made as illustrated and consist in making the nut with a peripheral groove 13, which rests within a notch 14 formed in the vertical web of the shoe 7; the nut is made rectangular and the notch is made of a similar shape so that the nut will not turn within the notch. The shoe is best made of a portion ofT shape steel as shown in Fig. 6. The shaft 9 extends beyond one of its bearings a sufficient distance to carry a sprocket wheel 15, around which the chain 16 passes. The bight of the chain extends downward a suitable distance to enable it to be grasped by a person on the ground. By means of this chain the sprocket wheel and shaft 9 may be rotated moving the nut and shoe, and with it the free end of the moving rail 1 from one side to the other, so as to throw the switch, and form a continuous track in alinement with either of the fixed rails 2 or 3. A bracket 17 may be provided for preventing the chain from coming off the sprocket wheel. The length of the plate 8 and the inside distance between the extensions 10 in connection with the width of the-shoe 7 should be such that when the switch is thrown from one side to the other the extreme distance the shoe will come in contact with the exten sion, and serve as a means of indicating to the operator that the switch has been completely thrown. This arrangement, of course, would be used only in connection with a three or more point switch at the extreme points of throw. In connection with the 2- oint switch, as illustrated, it serves as an e ective and positive means to prevent the o erator throwing the switch too far and at t e same time indicating to him that the switch has been completely thrown. In other switches with which I am familiar no means is provided for accomplishing this end.

Another portion of my invention consists in providing means for preventing a trolley running ofi one or the other of the fixed rails when the switch is open for that rail. I accomplish this by roviding the moving member of the switc with means such as the arms 1819, which are supported u on the free end of the moving rail and exten across the free ends of the fixed rails in such a position that they will engage with the trolley on the open track. These plates are best clamped upon the top of the moving member between it and the shoe 7. The two arms may be formed integrally with a supporting plate 20. The arms arebent downward as shown in Fig. 3 so that they will extend across the path of the fixed members 2 and 3, and so arranged that when the moving member is in line with the fixed member 2 the arm 18 will extend across the end of the fixed member 3 in such position that the trolley 21 will be intercepted and will be prevented from running off from the free end of the fixed rail. When the switch is thrown so that the moving member is in line with the fi'xed rail 3, then the arm 19 will be in the same osition and serve the same purpose in regar s to the fixed rail 2.

From the above description it will be seen that my switch can be moved to operate with a load on the moving element. It will also be seen that in my invention the switch cannot by accident be opened, but would be locked in any position in which it is moved. It will also be seen that my switch is absolutely positive in its motion and does not depend upon rollers or wheels.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, I have described the principle of my invention, together with the apparatus which I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof; but I desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is merely illustrative and that the invention can be carried out in other ways.

Having now particularly described the nature of my invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A switch for an overhead trolley, which comprises a section of track, the free end oi which is mounted upon a slide and supported thereby, and an intermediate pivotal support which allows the track when llexed to pivot upon the support.

2. A switch for an overhead trolley, which comprises a section of track, the free end of which is mounted upon a support, and an intermediate pivotal support which allows the track when flexed to pivot upon the support.

3. A switch for overhead. trolleys having a depending support for the rails, a moving member and a screw for moving such member there being a nut on the moving member, with which the screw directly engages.

41. A switch for overhead trolleys having in combination, a plurality of fixed rails and a moving rail, with means for moving the rail across the ends of the fixed rails, and a bar mounted upon and carried by the moving rail and extending across the ends oi" the fixed rails to provide a means for closing the ends of such rails.

5. A switch for an overhead trolley, which comprises the moving member and fixed members, throwing mechanism and a plate, the moving member having a shoe and the fixed members being connected together by the plate upon which the shoe slides, the said plate supporting the throwing mechanism.

6. A switch for an overhead trolley, which comprises the moving member and lixed members, the moving member having a shoe and the fixed members being connected to gether by a plate upon which the shoe slides, the said plate having upturned extremities, there being a screw carried by such upturned extremities and engaging with a nut for throwing the switch.

7. The combination, with an overhead trolley, of-a section of track, fixed at one end and free to move at the other by flexion, as distinguished from pivoting, and a plurality of sections of track With their free ends nxed tion of track to any one of the fixed sections, or vice versa. 10 This specification signed and witnessed and abutting the free end of the first section this 22nd day of April, 1907.

of track, With means for flexing the first section of track to bring its free end opposite the ends of the fixed sections of track so that the trolley may pass from the movable see- EWAN CAMERON. Witnesses:

JNo. ROBT. TAYLOR, LEONARD H. DYER. 

